poor oral health

The holidays have passed, but the impact of those sugary treats you may have eaten has not. After a holiday, most of us go on and on about its consequences to our waistlines, but our teeth are probably suffering, too. Sugar consumption and poor oral health go hand-in-hand.

People consume an estimated 130 pounds of sugar per person per year. That isn’t a ton, but it is excessive! Sugar consumption can negatively impact your overall health in the following ways:

An expanding waistline

Coronary heart disease

Type II diabetes

Metabolic syndrome

High blood pressure

Cancer

and Cavities

How Sugar Consumption Causes Cavities

The severity of sugar’s impact on your teeth can vary depending on the amount, type and form of sugar consumed, but the effects remain the same – cavities. However, the total amounts of sugar you eat have less of an impact on your teeth than how often you consume the sugar.

Sugar consumed in liquid form, such as sodas or juices, gets into every hard-to-reach nook and cranny in your mouth. Even with regular brushing, those sugars can be difficult to reach encouraging the growth of harmful bacteria.

Chewing foods laden with sugar can leave larger-than-normal amounts of sugar residue on your teeth. Your saliva will not wash away this residue. And harmful bacteria are invited to wreak havoc on your tooth enamel.

Unless you brush after eating small amounts of sugar often, eating large amounts not very often is better for your tooth enamel. A 12-oz can of soda is not as harmful to your tooth enamel if you drink all of it in a few minutes versus sipping those 12 ounces over a few hours. Here’s why:

Plaque, a sticky substance, is always forming on your teeth and gums. Plaque contains bacteria. The bacteria contained in the plaque feeds on the sugar in foods you eat or drink. Acids are created in about 20 seconds and last for about 30 minutes. Those acids can destroy your tooth enamel over time. Acidic environments promote cavities.

Sugar Consumption Causes Issues That Go Beyond Cavities

Severe erosion can lead to issues that go far beyond a cavity. It can lead to:

Drink half your weight in ounces of water every day. On extremely hot days and when you exercise, you should drink even more water. For example, if you weigh 200lbs, you should drink 100 ounces of water each day. That’s about six 16-oz. bottles of water. Keeping your body well hydrated is crucial to your good health. Read The Importance of Water in the Diet.

Eliminate sodas. Drink water, flavored water or green tea instead.

Avoid or limit candy, cookies and pastries. Limiting your consumption of them to small servings once or twice a week can greatly reduce your sugar consumption.

Limit snacks. Eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day will provide optimal energy and health. Choose healthful snacks like raw vegetables and fruits, cheese, peanut butter or nuts and nut butters. By the way, cheese stops the acid attacks from sugar on your teeth.

Beware of product labels that read “low-sugar” or “sugar-free.” Many low-sugar or sugar-free products use artificial sweeteners. There are potential health risks associated with use of artificial sweeteners. Research shows they can still create an acidic environment in your mouth.